Farnsworth out; Johnson in lead after Round 2

Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson leads the pack of three remaining candidates vying for the GOP gubernatorial endorsement after northern Minnesota teacher Rob Farnsworth was knocked out of contention.

Johnson held a commanding lead over repeat candidate Marty Seifert and state Sen. Dave Thompson by close to 10 points with 38.7 percent at the end of Round 2. Meanwhile only four votes separated Thompson and Seifert, who hovered near 30 percent.

Farnsworth, a 35-year-old husband and father of four, received just 37 votes for less than two percent. Ten percent of votes are required to move on to the third ballot.

In his concession speech, Farnsworth took to the podium and, noting that he's no longer a candidate, took off his tie before thanking supporters and family. Farnsworth wouldn't say which of the remaining candidates he would vote for, but instead told delegates to vote with their hearts "and everything will turn out alright."

A Duluth native who just barely lost Virginia's GOP gubernatorial primary said that politicians have not gone far enough in condemning the left for violence during a rally of white nationalists in Charlottesville. "I think that the left is going to try to use this as an excuse to crack down on conservative free speech," said Corey Stewart. "I think they're going to try to use this as an excuse to remove more historical monuments."